I'm just looking at the user forum "Toyota" "Prius" and my entry "Bought 2010 Prius, not Insight or Jetta TDI" and noticed three car summaries in a box titled "Learn more": 7.6 - Prius 2010, 3 reviews (8.6, 10, 4.3) 8.7 - Insight, 26 reviews 9.3 - Jetta, 110 reviews I don't suppose there might be a few other 2010 Prius owners who might want to share their views? The key is highlight specific features. No one review can cover everything but now is the time to look at what others have written and then add something unique, not previously or well covered. <grins> Bob Wilson
Edmunds can take up to 2 weeks to put a review up after it's been posted. I've put reviews up of every car I have on there except the Prius. I haven't decided if I will put the Prius up because my only complaint is the one that prevents me from driving the car. So no idea what I will do.
Accuracy is more important than anything else. Seats are important and the height was one reason why the 2001 Prius, 2001 Echo, 2005 Scion xB and 2003 Prius were acceptable but the Hondas were not. People are built different and an accurate report might save someone else a lot of grief. It may also result in an improved seat in the future. So just report the facts and data and life is good! Bob Wilson
I just might do that, I'm still waiting on my title so I can sell the car. No idea what I will buy, but comfy and supportive seats are high on the list. Probably a Jetta TDI or an Accord. I'll have to try a few cars out. Edmunds consumer reviews have been really helpful to me over the years. That's why I try and contribute.
I looked at the record to try an understand when and where the problem started: My wife had a ruptured disc repaired and later, a decompression laminectomy. She also has spondelothesis, a congenital condition. So I'm sympathetic to back problems. That is why the height of the seat above the road is so important. She can not 'squat down' nor 'climb up' to be comfortable. My wife likes a straight chair, more upright. I'm more comfortable in a lounge position. So when we change drivers, there is a lot of 'fiddling' to get the seat right. But then we're happy and off. Before the car is gone, you may want to take some notes about different seat configurations: seat back angle - upright, middle, and lowest, relative comfort seat bottom - lowest, middle, and highest, relative comfort Don't worry about reaching the controls, just see if any of the seat height and seat back angles can be made comfortable or better yet, a scale 1-10, 1 is best and 10 is worst. Knowing what works and more importantly, what doesn't work, can accelerate your testing of other vehicles. You mentioned the "Fit" was comfortable. Is there any way to measure the seat back angle and seat cushion angle? Again, having some numbers, some metric, might help with the new car as well as identify the limitation of the 2010 seats. Small comfort, I found the Honda Insight too small for me (I hit my head on the door jam.) But it may be that Honda has designed their vehicles for people who aren't built like a 6ft. gorilla. Late thought, you might mention our medical condition and size, just to give folks a clue. Edmunds limits the size so fitting it in may be a challenge. GOOD LUCK! Bob Wilson
Thanks Bob that's a great idea! I think seat design has a lot to do with it as well. The width of the seat back and the size of the bolsters. I prefer a more laid back style as it's more comfortable. I'm more upright in the Fit but it's ok. I had a 2008 Honda Civic Si and the seats in that were brilliant! I hated the e-brake digging into my knee on long trips but the seats were amazing. I will try and measure the angle somehow. I guess I need a mechanical compass or something to measure the angle but it might be worth doing since I'm not driving it. I have no choice but to drive it tomorrow. Yes I did actually try out as many seating positions as I could and noted which ones were more comfortable. The most comfortable position made the steering wheel about 3 inches too far away to drive. The Fit has no height adjustment but it does have a tilt/telescoping steering wheel that really telescopes. It has much more range than the Prius. My wife pushes it all the way in and I'm about 3/4 of the way out. I will mention back conditions in my Edmunds review.
